Skyview Capital to acquire market leading school kit provider with a focus on accelerating growth, innovation and market penetration

Skyview Capital (“Skyview”), a global private investment firm, today announced that it has acquired SchoolKidz.com (“SchoolKidz or the Company”) from Staples, Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

SchoolKidz.com provides kitting solutions for elementary and middle-school students through various parent (PTA/PTO), school and charitable organizations. The SchoolKidz Teacher Tailored offering provides school supply kits to over 3,000 schools nationwide.

SchoolKidz also operates KitsforKids.org, a program serving non-profit organizations. Organizations select KitsforKidz to provide essential goods for both educational and humanitarian purposes. During some of the recent natural disasters, SchoolKidz provisioned thousands of kits to those in need.

Following Staples’ acquisition of SchoolKidz.com ten years ago, the Company emerged as a leading provider of school supply kits as well as an innovator in providing kits to non-profit organizations. With financial and operational support from Skvyiew, Schoolkidz.com will continue to build on its position as a market leader.

“We are very pleased to announce the closing of SchoolKidz.com, a technology-enabled market leader in kitting solutions for educational and charity-based organizations nationwide”, said Alex Soltani, Chairman and CEO of Skyview Capital. “Skyview’s deep operational expertise will help modernize and accelerate growth of this new investment. Financial support from Skyview will enable the Company to expand its existing product portfolio as well as gain even greater market share through consolidation of a fragmented industry. We are excited about our partnership with the existing management team and look forward to providing them with the tools necessary to efficiently and aggressively grow this business.”

Rick Bigelow, Senior Vice President at Skyview and Executive Chairman of Schoolkidz.com, said “I am excited about the acquisition of SchoolKidz and look forward to continuing to serve our thousands of PTA/PTO and Charity organizations. We are committed to working with the SchoolKidz team to enhance the Company’s existing capabilities, bolster its leading market position via follow-on acquisitions, and, ultimately, deliver the best in class products to our customers.”

“I am excited to work with Skyview Capital going forward as the President of SchoolKidz, supporting parent and non-profit organizations as we have for nearly two decades,” Jim Mulder, former Executive Director under Staples and current President of Schoolkidz. “Our goal as an organization is to continue to provide the highest quality product and level of service that our customers have become accustomed to, with no disruption to their programs.”

About Skyview Capital, LLC
Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services, and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 25 transactions whereby it has acted as a partner to corporations and other stakeholders experiencing a strategic transition or liquidity event. Visit http://www.skyviewcapital.com.

GrowthCap’s Top 40 Under 40 Growth Investors Of 2017

ALEX SOLTANI

Firm: Skyview Capital

Title: Founder and Chairman

Alex founded Skyview 13 years ago, prior to which he worked at Platinum Equity. Since inception, Skyview has completed over 30 transactions and has exited 13 of its portfolio companies. With a heritage of executing complex corporate carve-outs in the enterprise software and telecom space, Alex has developed significant expertise in driving operational best practices and accelerating growth through strategic add-on acquisitions. For example, Skyview acquired Syncplicity in 2015 at a point when it was burning a significant amount of cash. Within 18 months, Skyview assisted in rightsizing the business, optimizing sales and marketing, and accelerating revenue growth. Skyview successfully sold Syncplicity to Axway in February of 2017. Alex recently launched Skyview Ventures which focuses on earlier stage disruptive technology investments.

“I enjoy working with businesses that we feel have untapped yet significant potential; we like to think of ourselves as a hybrid financial/operational resource that founders, management teams and stakeholders alike can leverage for growth. Although it can be a significant undertaking, there is a deep sense of satisfaction that comes with taking a historically stagnant, mature, or underperforming business and unlocking its true inherent potential. At Skyview, we provide a unique and differentiated solution to large multinational corporations, business owners and any stakeholders who need help realizing value in their business. Many publicly traded companies within the Fortune 2000 community enjoy working with us because of our ability to quickly execute on some very complex corporate carve-outs with minimal disruption to their internal processes, employees and customers. We also work closely with founders and management teams to identify organic growth initiatives by driving operational best practices, while also combing for add-on strategic acquisitions to further accelerate that development.” – Alex Soltani, Skyview Capital

Bellevue, WA. (February 2, 2018) –Apptio, Inc. (NASDAQ: APTI), the business management system of record for hybrid IT, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Digital Fuel SV, LLC, a provider of IT business management (ITBM) tools. With the acquisition of Digital Fuel from global investment firm Skyview Capital, Apptio further extends its leadership of the $6 billion Technology Business Management (TBM) market. Today’s acquisition broadens Apptio’s customer base across both strategic and enterprise segments in the Global 10,000 and adds new product capabilities.

With this move, Apptio’s cloud-based applications will help more than 550 licensed customers manage, plan and optimize their technology investments across on-premises and hybrid IT environments. This acquisition will also provide opportunities to deepen Apptio’s integrations with leading financial, service management, systems management, and public and private cloud vendors. Now, Apptio’s more than 800 employees are solely focused on helping CIOs, IT finance leaders, and infrastructure and operations professionals manage the business of IT.

“Since Apptio’s founding in 2007, we’ve been deeply committed to creating a long lasting software category relevant to every organization, regardless of size or geography,” said Sunny Gupta, CEO of Apptio. “We are invested in the ongoing success of Digital Fuel customers and our combined customer base will have access to the most advanced innovation in TBM. Additionally, our partnership with the nonprofit TBM Council will provide unparalleled industry support to help ensure every customer’s success.”

Digital Fuel was founded in 2000 as a service level management provider and expanded in 2008 to include IT financial management solutions. In 2011, Digital Fuel was acquired by VMware and integrated with VMware’s cloud management and infrastructure products to help provide customers with transparency and control over costs and quality of IT services. In 2016, Digital Fuel was acquired by private investment firm, Skyview Capital.

As part of the Apptio family, Digital Fuel will operate as an independent business unit with continued support and investment for the Digital Fuel product line. Digital Fuel customers will also have the ability to leverage new product innovation from Apptio’s product family. Apptio customers will also benefit from existing Digital Fuel product capabilities, including service level management and a deep integration with VMware vSphere and cloud management solutions.

Alex Soltani, Skyview Capital Chairman says, “We are very excited about this transaction. We feel the combination of Digital Fuel and Apptio will create the leading platform for TBM globally.”

More detail on this news will be provided on Apptio’s 4th quarter earnings conference call, scheduled for Monday, February 5, 2018. Further call information can be found here.

About Apptio

Apptio (NASDAQ: APTI) is the business management system of record for hybrid IT. We transform the way IT runs its business and makes decisions. With our cloud-based applications, IT leaders manage, plan and optimize their technology investments across on-premises and cloud. With Apptio, IT leaders become strategic partners to the business by demonstrating value of IT investments, accelerate innovation and shift their technology investments from running the business to digital innovation. Hundreds of customers choose Apptio as their business system of record for hybrid IT. For more information, please visit www.Apptio.com

About Digital Fuel

Digital Fuel, a business unit of Apptio (NASDAQ: APTI), provides Technology Business Management (TBM) software designed to help IT leaders deliver more business value from every dollar spent on IT. To learn more, please visit www.DigitalFuel.com

About Skyview Capital, LLC

Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 25 transactions within its target market verticals. Visit www.skyviewcapital.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding the potential benefits of our acquisition of Digital Fuel SV, LLC, the potential benefits of the acquisition for our customers and Digital Fuel’ customers and the potential benefits of our relationship with VMware. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, among others, our ability to successfully integrate Digital Fuel as an independent business unit, as well as those risks and uncertainties included under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on October 31, 2017. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof, and we undertake no duty to update this information unless required by law.

Skyview Ventures is excited to announce its Series A investment in Silk Technologies, a highly innovative biotech company with patented technology that uses silk protein to develop biological drugs designed to treat eye disease.

Skyview Ventures, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of global private equity firm Skyview Capital, LLC is pleased to announce its Series A investment in Silk Technologies, Ltd (“SILKTECH”). This highly innovative biotech company has patented technology that uses silk protein to develop biological drugs designed to treat eye disease. Their lead drug candidate, SDP-4, has a dual mode of action. Pre-clinical findings have demonstrated that SDP-4 has potent anti-inflammatory activity that target known causes of Dry Eye Disease. In addition, SDP-4 significantly improves the wetting properties of ophthalmic formulations, which is essential for enhancing comfort during use. More notably, this inherent, enhanced wetting property of SDP-4 is achieved without increased viscosity, which can blur vision.

Skyview Ventures has committed $11.2 Million to support development of SDP-4 through Phase-2 proof of concept studies.

Dry Eye Disease is a multi-billion dollar market estimated to effect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, with at least 30+ million of those people in the United States. Dry eye is a disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability and which often limits vision. Inflammation is known to be a major causal contributor. Typical discomfort symptoms associated with dry eye include burning, stinging, grittiness, foreign body sensation, tearing, ocular fatigue, pain and of course, dryness. Although several current Dry Eye therapies exist, the market continues to demand a more robust and effective form of treatment. The SDP-4 drug is uniquely designed to address both the underlying inflammation as a result of the disease while providing the patient greater relief from their symptoms than currently available treatment options provide.

Alex Soltani, Skyview Ventures’ Chairman & CEO, stated, “Skyview Ventures has had great success partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs and helping disruptive, market-changing, companies achieve their maximum potential, and we believe this recipe for success will again be replicated through our investment and partnership with SILKTECH. SILKTECH and its highly savvy team has developed a novel product to solve a significantly growing problem which still has yet to find an appropriate and consistently effective solution. We are confident that the SILKTECH therapeutic which combines novel wetting attributes with potent targeted anti-inflammatory properties will provide a significant improvement to existing prescription Dry Eye therapies in the market today. Dry Eye impacts tens of millions of patients in the United States alone, and as a result the opportunity for disruption of this market is truly substantial. I, for one, suffer from this condition and I am looking forward to seeing this product quickly advance and become available for the benefit of the general population.”

Brian Lawrence, Ph.D., SILKTECH’s co-founder and CEO, says, “We are thrilled to have Skyview Ventures as our Series A investment partner. They are an optimal partner for SILKTECH given their enthusiasm for the Dry Eye space and their strong track record of success for investing in markets that require innovative approaches. In addition to capital, Skyview Ventures will provide SILKTECH with enhanced operational bandwidth that will be critical in accelerating our technology to the marketplace.” Dr. Lawrence has a Ph.D. from the Biomedical Engineering Department at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), and has been devoted to developing the use of silk protein to treat eye disease for the past 12 years. SILKTECH team members will be speaking at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit preceding the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting on November 9th in New Orleans, LA.

Richard Lindstrom, M.D., a leading Ophthalmology expert who is on the SILKTECH Medical Advisory Board and a practicing Ophthalmologist and founder of Minnesota Eye Consultants, states, “SDP-4 offers a very novel approach to treating Dry Eye symptoms. It provides several modes of action to address this serious problem.”

Brian Levy, O.D., M.Sc, Chairman of SILKTECH, and a leading Ophthalmology industry expert who served as Chief Medical Officer for Bausch + Lomb and Aerie Pharmaceuticals says, “We are excited to have the Skyview Capital team join us at SILKTECH. The need for more effective Dry Eye therapies continues and the SDP-4 biologic offers a compelling solution.”

Paul Karpecki, OD, a leading expert in the field of dry eye disease, who is on the SILKTECH Board of Directors commented that, “The field of protein-based treatments for dry eye is significant and could represent one of the key mechanisms to managing this vast disease. SDP-4 is a prime example of how this silk protein may affect lubrication, inflammation and ocular surface healing.”

Matt Thompson, Skyview Ventures Senior Vice President says, “Dry Eye syndrome is a massive, under-diagnosed health issue. The current products on the market have significant adverse side effects and provide limited relief. This research was built on solid underlying science and has been funded to date by Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards from both the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense. Our investment will help accelerate their growth, resulting in new products for consumers entering the market in the next several years.”

About Skyview Ventures
Skyview Ventures is a wholly owned division of Skyview Capital, LLC. Skyview Ventures partners with talented entrepreneurs who are developing highly-disruptive technologies in a variety of different markets and industries. Skyview Ventures invests in early stage businesses, where the team can leverage industry experience and its vast relationships. Current areas of focus include Digital Media, IoT, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Telecom and Software, Social Media, Fintech, HealthTech and Biotech. Skyview Ventures is based in Los Angeles, California. http://www.skyviewcapital.com/ventures

About Skyview Capital, LLC
Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed more than 25 transactions within its target market verticals. Visit http://www.skyviewcapital.com.

About Silk Technologies, Ltd.
Silk Technologies, Ltd is a biotech company focusing on innovating and developing silk-derived protein (SDP) products for ophthalmic applications. The Company’s patented SDP material is being developed for applications in treating dry eye disease, ocular inflammation, wound healing and tear film health. More information on the Plymouth, MN based Silk Technologies, Ltd. can be found at http://www.silk-tech.com.

Skyview Ventures Invests in Buy It Installed, Inc.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, August 1, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ — Skyview Ventures is excited to announce its investment in the A-Round of Buy It Installed, Inc. This software-enabled-services company has invented a process that fully automates the integration of installation services throughout the supply chain, enabling online retailers to dynamically connect consumers with qualified installers. For consumers, the Buy It Installed solution means simple, “one-click” access to professional installation services: Consumers simply push a button and get the products they are buying installed. For retailers, the Buy It Installed button means an enhanced consumer experience that leads to exponential sales growth. A large percentage of consumers are ready to make an online purchase, but they are turned off by the need to separately find an installer. By packaging the online order with installation, the Buy It Installed button dramatically increases the close rate on transactions. This helps retailers increase both sales and customer satisfaction, while reducing product returns.

The investment in Buy It Installed will be used to further develop the service platform, recruit additional team members, and harness the existing large customer demand. Skyview Ventures is investing in this round alongside Tech Coast Angels, the ACE Fund, and families core to the venerable Crosspoint Venture Partners.

Skyview Capital Ventures has relevant experience in the Mobile, Software as a Service, Cloud-based customer support, and eCommerce segments through previous investments in NewPace, Headsprout, Mimio, LSSiData, Kangarootime and Syncplicity.

Alex Soltani, Skyview Capital’s CEO, says “Skyview Ventures has had great success helping disruptive companies in the software and E-commerce sectors. E-commerce has become a major sales channel globally and providing coordinated installations is a logical next step. Buy It Installed has a great team, and this additional capital will help them scale into a major player in this E-commerce logistics space.”

Todd Banhidy, Buy It Installed’s founder, says, “We are very excited to have Skyview Ventures participate in this round. Skyview brings relevant technical and operating experience, and a great camaraderie as the first institutional investors in this round.”

Matt Thompson, Skyview Capital Ventures Senior Vice President says, “We are looking forward to partner with Todd Banhidy and the Buy It Installed team. We see a huge market in finishing the eCommerce last foot’ of completing the assembly and installation of the items. There are so many times when I choose not to purchase an item because I don’t know who will install it. We expect Buy It Installed to define this market segment which is at the intersection of eCommerce, Artificial Intelligence, big data, and mobility.”

About Skyview Ventures
Skyview Ventures is a wholly owned division of Skyview Capital LLC. Skyview Ventures partners with entrepreneurs in Southern California who are developing disruptive technologies. Skyview Ventures invests in early stage businesses, where the team can leverage industry experience and its vast relationships. Current areas of focus include Digital Media, IoT, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Telecom and Software, Social Media, Fintech, HealthTech and Biotech. Skyview Ventures is based in Los Angeles, California. www.skyviewcapital.com/ventures

About Skyview Capital, LLC
Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed more than 25 transactions within its target market verticals. Visit www.skyviewcapital.com.

About Buy It Installed, Inc.
Buy It Installed™ is a button integrated into a retailer’s e-commerce site which enables a consumer to buy their product with manufacturer certified service nationwide. Having automated the complex human system that is installed sales, they are the first to successfully serve large retailers at a massive scale. More information on the Irvine, CA based Buy It Installed, Inc. can be found at www.buyitinstalled.com

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, July 5, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ — Skyview Ventures LLC is excited to announce its investment in the Seed Round of Kangarootime. Kangarootime is a leading provider of cloud-based software solutions for early learning centers. The Kangarootime suite of products allows childcare centers and other educational centers to digitize their operations. The Kangarootime suite allows parents to check their children in and out of the center, pay tuition electronically, view and share photos, complete student paperwork and interact with teachers. The tool also helps childcare centers manage their compliance issues, improve staffing oversight, and increase and automate revenue and collections.

This investment in Kangarootime will go to help accelerate their growth into new school organizations in the United States and abroad. Skyview Ventures is investing alongside Mucker Capital and Tech Coast Angels in this round.

Skyview Ventures has relevant experience in the mobile, EdTech and cloud-based software segments through previous investments in NewPace, Headsprout, Mimio, LSSiData, and Syncplicity.

Scott Wayman, Kangarootime CEO, says, “We are very excited to have Skyview Ventures participate in this round. Skyview brings a lot of relevant financial, technical, and operating experience. We are building the first cloud-based enterprise-capable platform for early education, and having the operating expertise of Skyview behind us is an invaluable asset. Another appeal of teaming up with Skyview was that their team consists of real entrepreneurs. As we work with the large franchise businesses in early childhood education, having former operators like Skyview in our corner is a real asset.”

Matt Thompson, Skyview Ventures LLC Senior Vice President says, “We are looking forward to partnering with Scott Wayman and the Kangarootime team. We first met Scott at the Founders Institute pitch session two years ago and have been impressed with his progress. Early education and day-camps are sectors ripe for digital disruption. As a parent, I am tired of all of the duplicative paper forms. We see Kangarootime both growing the market and taking share.”

Chris Aye, Skyview Capital COO, says “We are excited to help Kangarootime on their journey. They have a great foundation and this additional capital will help them scale the business.”

About Skyview Ventures LLC
Skyview Ventures LLC is a wholly-owned division of Skyview Capital LLC. Skyview Ventures partners with entrepreneurs in Southern California who are developing disruptive technologies. Skyview Ventures invests in early stage businesses, where the team can leverage industry experience and its vast relationships. Current areas of focus include Digital Media, IoT, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Telecom and Software, Social Media, Fintech, HealthTech and Biotech. Skyview Ventures is based in Los Angeles, California. www.skyviewcapital.com/ventures

About Skyview Capital, LLC
Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed more than 25 transactions within its target market verticals. Visit www.skyviewcapital.com.

About Kangarootime, Inc.
Kangarootime is a leader in the education software market and is based in Long Beach, California. Kangarootime provides a suite of software tools including Tuition Collection Manager, Child Checkin and Checkout, Messaging and Picture Sharing and Employee Management. Kangarootime serves preschool, elementary school, elder care, and day-camp market segments.

LOS ANGELES, CA (PRWEB) JUNE 26, 2017 – Digital Fuel announced that Dale Quayle has been named as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. As CEO, Quayle will focus on continuing to grow market share worldwide and to accelerate a strategic shift to capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Quayle has a long track record of innovation and business success as President and CEO of Interset and President and CEO of Integrien, which was acquired by VMware in 2011. Quayle’s 35-year career also includes senior positions at Hewlett Packard and Trinagy.

“Dale is the right CEO to take Digital Fuel to its next phase of growth, customer expansion and innovation” said Alex Soltani, Skyview Capital CEO and Chairman. “His successful track record in leading enterprise software companies through rapid growth and his ability to capitalize on emerging opportunities makes him the right candidate for the job.”

Together with the Digital Fuel leadership team, Quayle will focus on four priorities:

Strengthening customer intimacy by enhancing the current culture of customer relationship and success to ensure Digital Fuel’s success

Accelerating product innovation, ensuring that our market leading products continue to meet and exceed rapidly changing market and customer needs. This includes increasingly leveraging new technologies and forming innovative new partnerships

Establishing market leadership through education, community and best practices that can be adopted throughout the industry.

Maintaining value for customers by providing the lowest total cost of ownership and therefore the greatest return on investment

“I am very excited to join Digital Fuel, which has built such great momentum in the market place,” said Dale. “Enterprises are embracing the power of IT innovation within all functions of the organization, and solutions like Digital Fuel help manage and aid these companies to make informed and timely decisions on their IT spend particularly in complex cloud technology implementations. Digital Fuel is in the forefront of this transition and is poised for aggressive growth. I am very pleased to be joining the Digital Fuel team and look forward to accelerate the growth.”

About Digital Fuel
Digital Fuel develops software solutions that help organizations deliver more business value from every dollar spent on IT. We provide the only solution where IT leaders plan, manage and optimize the cost, quality and business value of IT service investments in one single system of record. IT and business leaders use Digital Fuel’s solutions for 100% of IT spend, private, public and hybrid cloud and for corporate shared services and revenue generating services. Digital Fuel maximizes the return on investment for hundreds of customers worldwide by providing low total cost of ownership (TCO). To learn more, please visit http://www.digitalfuel.com.

Press Contact
Digital Fuel Media
PR@digitalfuel.com
(925) 997-2557

About Skyview Capital, LLC

Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 25 transactions within its target market verticals. To learn more, please visit http://www.skyviewcapital.com

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, April 4, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ — Founded in 2005 to focus on operationally challenged corporate carveouts in the lower middle market, Skyview Capital (“Skyview”) has built a deep and talented, multi-disciplinary team of seasoned in-house professionals. Since inception of the firm, Skyview has generated exceptional cash-on-cash returns. In the last several years, the Skyview team has had great success with technology carve-outs and buyouts. Selected recent portfolio company exits include the sales of:

On the heels of these successes, and seeking to leverage the team’s expansive skill set and experience base in investing in as well as operating growth-oriented technology and telecommunications businesses, Skyview Capital has launched Skyview Ventures. Skyview Ventures is an internally managed pool of partners’ capital that will invest in high growth companies in Southern California. Focusing on Seed, Angel, A, B &C investment rounds, Skyview Ventures will target technology sectors in which Skyview Capital has a strong angle due to relevant experience and relationships. Areas of focus include Internet of Things (IOT), Enterprise Software, Digital Media, Virtual Reality, Telecom and Mobile Infrastructure, Consumer Technology, Biotech/Healthtech, and FinTech..

“Historically within our portfolio companies, we opportunistically have evaluated and incubated startup ventures. Now we are very excited to formalize our activities in the venture realm. Over the last several years, we have generated exceptional returns on our technology- and telecom-related investments, and in doing so, have built our team to the point where we are now well-positioned to pursue this new avenue. Through our business development team, we have significant technology deal flow. With our in-house operations team, we have experience scaling highly successful technology businesses. We strongly believe we bring a differentiated skill set and new point of view to the venture world” said Alex Soltani, Chairman & CEO of Skyview Capital and Skyview Ventures.

Matt Thompson, Senior Vice President at Skyview Capital, will be coordinating investment activities for Skyview Ventures. Matt has 20 years of investing and operating experience with Technology, Consumer, Software, and Healthcare startups and larger enterprises. Matt is an active and connected member of the Angel and Venture Capital communities in Southern California. Matt says of Skyview Ventures, “We are really excited to invest in the Southern California startup ecosystem. We see significant opportunity to help entrepreneurs realize their vision. The Skyview Capital platform allows us to hit the ground running and accelerate these new ventures. We believe that our industry expertise, operational capabilities and experience in the corporate carveout world will allow us to bring a fresh perspective to our portfolio companies.” Matt Thompson will be working with Edward Zyszkowski, Skyview Chief Technology Officer, to source and evaluate new technologies for Skyview Ventures. Mr. Zyszkowski has served as a founder, CEO, CTO, investor and corporate advisor to industry-transforming technologies.

About Skyview Ventures
Skyview Ventures is a wholly-owned division of Skyview Capital LLC. Skyview Ventures partners with entrepreneurs in Southern California who are developing disruptive technologies. Skyview Ventures invests in early stage businesses, where the team can leverage industry experience and its vast relationships. Current areas of focus include Digital Media, IoT, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Telecom and Software, Social Media, Fintech, HealthTech and Biotech. Skyview Ventures is based in Los Angeles, California.

About Skyview Capital, LLC
Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed more than 25 transactions within its target market verticals. Visit www.skyviewcapital.com.

LOS ANGELES, CA – February 24, 2017 – Skyview Capital today announced that it has completed the sale of Syncplicity, a leading enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) solution that provides users with the experience and tools they need for secure collaboration, to Axway (Euronext: AXW.PA). Skyview Capital acquired Syncplicity from EMC Corporation in 2015.

Under Skyview Capital’s ownership, Syncplicity has emerged as the leader of the hybrid enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) market. In 2016 the company successfully secured and deployed a number of key large accounts highlighted by the largest EFSS deployment in the world with Siemens AG for 350,000 employees. Syncplicity’s solutions are deployed in a wide range of industries including retail, manufacturing, financial services, higher education, and health sciences. In 2016, Syncplicity was positioned as a leader in the Forrester Wave™: Enterprise File Sync And Share Platforms, Hybrid Solutions, Q2 2016.Syncplicity is also positioned as a visionary in the Magic Quadrant for Enterprise File Synchronization and Sharing. Syncplicity was ranked number 1 for IT Modernization by the Gartner EFSS critical capabilities report.

“We are exceptionally proud to have partnered with Syncplicity during a time when the entire organization delivered remarkable operational, technological, and financial results,” said Alex Soltani, Chairman of both Syncplicity and Skyview Capital. “Part of our underlying thesis in acquiring Syncplicity was its unique and market differentiating, hybrid cloud approach which has proven to be instrumental to global enterprises in their digital transformation efforts. Axway and Syncplicity present a highly complementary fit which will only further enhance value to customers, and we remain confident in Syncplicity’s continued growth strategy and unique position in the market. Finally, this initial investment and current exit represents yet another strong return for Skyview Capital, further solidifying our consistent ability to significantly increase value in the companies which we acquire.”

Union Square Advisors served as the exclusive financial advisor to Skyview Capital in this transaction.

About Skyview Capital, LLC

Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 25 transactions within its target market verticals. Visit www.skyviewcapital.com.

About Syncplicity
Syncplicity is the leading hybrid enterprise file sync and share and mobile collaboration solution that provides users with the experience and tools they desire and gives IT the security and control it needs, while significantly reducing infrastructure cost. Some of its customers include Siemens AG, Texas A&M University, EMC Corporation, State of Indiana, the Associated Press and the Boston Red Sox. Visit www.syncplicity.com.

About Axway

Axway (Euronext: AXW.PA) is a catalyst for transformation. With Axway AMPLIFY™, our cloud-enabled data integration and engagement platform, leading brands better anticipate, adapt and scale to meet ever changing customer expectations. Our unified, API-first approach connects data from anywhere, fuels millions of apps and delivers real-time analytics to build customer experience networks. From idea to execution, we help make the future possible for more than 11,000 organizations in 100 countries. To learn more about Axway, visit www.axway.com.

Leader in secure collaboration and file sharing to join Axway in advancing the digital workplace without borders

PARIS – February 22, 2017 – Axway (Euronext: AXW.PA), a catalyst for transformation, today announced the all-cash acquisition of Syncplicity, a leading enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) solution that provides users with the experience and tools they need for secure collaboration. With the acquisition of Syncplicity, Axway will be able to further enhance the Axway AMPLIFY™ platform to transform the way modern enterprises collaborate and innovate across digital ecosystems and further heighten engagement with customers, employees and partners

Syncplicity, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, was founded in 2007 and was owned by global investment firm Skyview Capital. More than 25,000 businesses and individuals across a wide variety of verticals rely on Syncplicity’s enterprise-grade file sync and share solutions to get more business value from their data within applications, databases or files, whether stored on-premise or in private or public clouds.

“As businesses continue to collaborate using cloud-based tools, it’s imperative that file exchanges and synchronization between individuals is a secure and seamless experience,” said Jean-Marc Lazzari, CEO at Axway. “Together, Axway and Syncplicity will create a one stop shop for digital shared services.”

“Syncplicity’s EFSS expertise and product excellence will complement Axway MFT solutions perfectly by encouraging and supporting greater collaboration among employees, partners and customers,” said Jonathan Huberman, CEO at Syncplicity. “The Syncplicity team is proud to join Axway to create the best possible outcomes for our customers.”

The details of the transaction are not made public.

To learn more about the acquisition and what it means for your business, click here.
Follow @Axway for additional information.

About Axway
Axway (Euronext: AXW.PA) is a catalyst for transformation. With Axway AMPLIFY™, our cloud-enabled data integration and engagement platform, leading brands better anticipate, adapt and scale to meet ever changing customer expectations. Our unified, API-first approach connects data from anywhere, fuels millions of apps and delivers real-time analytics to build customer experience networks. From idea to execution, we help make the future possible for more than 11,000 organizations in 100 countries. To learn more about Axway, visit www.axway.com.

About Syncplicity
Syncplicity is a leader in secure file sharing and collaboration solution. Over 25,000 businesses and individuals rely on us to deliver secure solutions with exceptional performance. We are proud to employ Silicon Valley’s best talent—people who are dedicated to, and even a bit obsessed with, redefining file sharing and revolutionizing the way we work. By leveraging our resources and inspiring our employees, we will continue to reinvent enterprise file sharing and collaboration through rapid product release and innovative design. To learn more about Syncplicity, visit www.syncplicity.com.

About Skyview Capital, LLC
Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 25 transactions within its target market verticals. Visit www.skyviewcapital.com

Founded in 2009 as NewPace Technology Development Inc., the RCS Business provides Software Development, Systems Operations, and Applications support to a world-wide base of customers. Having developed large-scale VoIP offerings and implemented global Instant Messaging products, the NewPace team has substantial experience in telecommunications development and operations, and services a wide variety of global clients with tenured expertise in delivering robust, high availability and scalable telecom solutions.

“We have enjoyed working with the RCS team during a time of significant transition within the industry,” said Alex Soltani, Chairman and CEO of Skyview Capital. “This transaction is a testament to our investment thesis of identifying best in class technologies and transforming them into highly strategic platforms within the markets they serve. We hope for continued success under Samsung’s ownership.”

About Skyview Capital

Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 25 transactions within its target market verticals. Visit www.skyviewcapital.com.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The Company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.

LOS ANGELES, September 12, 2016 – Skyview Capital (“Skyview”), a global private investment firm, announced that it has acquired the VMware vRealize® Business™ Enterprise (formerly known as Digital Fuel IT Financial Management) and IT Benchmarking (formerly known as iTHC) business from VMware. Skyview has formed a new company under the name Digital Fuel SV, LLC (“Digital Fuel”). VMware has invested in Digital Fuel and will continue to provide on-going support and services for mutual customers through a transition period.

Digital Fuel is a leader in the rapidly growing IT Financial Management (ITFM) sector, which provides software tools that help CIOs, IT Managers, and Finance Managers oversee IT spending and budgets. ITFM provides IT leaders with tools to manage their costs and services while also demonstrating the value provided by the IT function.

Following VMware’s acquisition of the business five years ago, Digital Fuel has emerged as an industry leader in the ITFM sector, selling to blue-chip enterprise customers across multiple end markets including Financial Services, Government, Education, and Healthcare. The business has helped customers optimize their IT spend and realize significant cost savings, while being more responsive to internal customer needs.

“The ability to understand IT costs and risks has become a top priority for senior executives around the globe, and Digital Fuel is well positioned to address their needs. With VMware’s continued minority interest and our operationally hands-on leadership approach, we expect to drive meaningful value for our customers, partners, and employees globally. We look forward to making near-term strategic acquisitions to expand Digital Fuel’s product and service offerings, while enhancing its value proposition in the industry,” said Alex Soltani, Chairman and CEO of Skyview.

“With our increased focus on customer adoption of the private cloud and extending our support for multi-cloud environments, it was key to identify the right home for our IT Financial Management product lines and team,” said Ajay Singh, senior vice president and general manager, Cloud Management Business Unit of VMware. “We expect Skyview Capital will accelerate the innovation and investment in the vRealize Business Enterprise and IT benchmarking solutions to the benefit of our mutual customers. During the transition, we will work with Digital Fuel to provide customers with on-going support and services.”

Terms were not disclosed, but VMware does not expect this transaction to have a material impact on VMware’s financial statements.

About Skyview Capital, LLC
Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 25 transactions within its target market verticals. Visit www.skyviewcapital.com.

About Digital Fuel
Digital Fuel is an IT financial management (ITFM) tool that provides transparency and control over the costs of cloud environments and quality of IT services. Its suite of products allow businesses to optimize costs and sourcing across internal virtual infrastructure/private cloud and public cloud. Infrastructure teams use Digital Fuel to understand the costs of supplying private and public cloud environments, while CIOs and IT executives can understand the costs of supplying IT services.

LOS ANGELES, September 12, 2016 – Skyview Capital, a global private investment firm, today announced that it has acquired the VMware vRealize® Business™ Enterprise (formerly known as Digital Fuel IT Financial Management) and IT Benchmarking (formerly known as iTHC) business including customer relationships, core employees responsible for the products and the associated intellectual property (IP) of the products from VMware. Terms were not disclosed, but VMware does not expect this transaction to have a material impact on VMware’s financial statements.

VMware vRealize Business Enterprise and IT benchmarking solutions provide transparency and control over costs and quality of IT services. Skyview Capital has formed a new company—Digital Fuel SV, LLC—around the acquired products and team, and will invest in this entity to accelerate the growth, innovation, adoption and support of these solutions. VMware has an equity investment in Digital Fuel SV LLC and will work with the company to provide ongoing support and services for the customers through the transition. VMware retains vRealize Business for Cloud, a separate product line developed in-house and introduced in October 2014.

vRealize Business Enterprise and IT Benchmarking are leading solutions in the rapidly growing, billion dollar IT Financial Management (ITFM) sector, that provides software tools that help CIOs, IT Managers and Finance Managers that manage IT spending and budgets. ITFM provides IT leaders with tools to manage their costs and services while also demonstrating the value provided by the IT function.

Following VMware’s acquisition of Digital Fuel five years ago, VMware emerged as a leader in the ITFM sector, selling to customers across multiple verticals including Financial Services, Government, Education and Healthcare. vRealize Business Enterprise and IT Benchmarking solutions have helped customers optimize their IT spend and realize significant cost savings, while being more responsive to internal customer needs.

“The ability to understand IT costs and risks has become a top priority for senior executives around the globe, and Digital Fuel is well positioned to address their needs. With VMware’s continued minority interest and our operationally hands-on leadership approach, we expect to drive meaningful value for our customers, partners, and employees globally. We look forward to making near-term strategic acquisitions to expand Digital Fuel’s product and service offerings, while enhancing its value proposition in the industry,” said Alex Soltani, Chairman and CEO of Skyview Capital.

“With our increased focus on customer adoption of the private cloud and extending our support for multi-cloud environments, it was key to identify the right home for our IT Financial Management product lines and team,” said Ajay Singh, senior vice president and general manager, Cloud Management Business Unit, VMware. “We expect Skyview Capital will accelerate the innovation and investment in the vRealize Business Enterprise and IT benchmarking solutions to the benefit of our mutual customers. During the transition, we will work with Digital Fuel to provide customers with on-going support and services.”

About Skyview Capital, LLC
Skyview Capital is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and manufacturing. By leveraging its operational resources and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 25 transactions within its target market verticals. Visit www.skyviewcapital.com.

Sarasota, Florida—February 1, 2015— xG Technology, Inc. (“xG”) (Nasdaq: XGTI, XGTIW), a leader in providing critical wireless communications for use in challenging operating environments, announced today that it has completed its acquisition of assets of Integrated Microwave Technologies, LLC (“IMT”) originally announced on Jan. 19, 2016. The acquisition was completed using debt financing from the seller and will require payoff over the next eighteen months.

The acquisition of the IMT assets is expected to deliver significant benefits to xG in a number of areas. By aligning its operations and technology platforms with those of IMT, xG will be able to expand more deeply into markets it is currently active in, while opening growth possibilities in new sectors. xG gains immediate access to the IMT product line, which opens new cross-selling opportunities to xG’s existing customer base, and enriches its competitive offerings. Likewise, IMT can now fill the demonstrated need among its own customers for the kind of secure, rapidly-deployable mobile broadband solution that xMax is uniquely suited to fill.

Finally, IMT’s manufacturing expertise is expected to drive additional operational, production and other cost efficiencies at xG. This and other aspects of the transaction will serve to yield compelling financial benefits to xG and prepare it realize even more growth.

George Schmitt, CEO and Board Chairman of xG Technology, said, “We welcome the IMT family to be part of xG Technology and are delighted with the synergies that we see between the two companies. We expect these synergies to result in substantial reductions in, and avoidance of, costs that will total approximately $2MM per year. We would also like to thank Skyview Capital, the seller of IMT, for extending us this opportunity and for their assistance in helping ensure a timely closing of the acquisition.”

Roger Branton, CFO of xG Technology, said, “This acquisition is expected to be cash flow positive from day one and accretive to the combined companies. xG and IMT each have distinctive strengths that will be even more pronounced by integrating our operations. In addition to broadening our capabilities to execute more effectively, this acquisition will make xG well-positioned from a financial standpoint to embark on its next phase of growth.”

John Payne IV, newly-appointed President of the IMT Division of xG Technology, and a corporate officer of xG, said, “We at IMT are delighted to become a major part of xG Technology and look forward to working together to develop joint sales strategies and to take advantage of the synergies available to the combined entities.”

Founded in 2002, xG Technology has created a broad portfolio of intellectual property that makes wireless networks more intelligent, accessible, affordable and reliable. The company is the developer of xMax, a patented all-IP cognitive radio network system that enables secure, robust mobile broadband communications for private, consumer and government networks. xMax can solve the crisis facing the wireless industry caused by data-hungry devices and applications that are straining network capacity. It eliminates the need to acquire scarce and expensive licensed spectrum, thus lowering the total cost of ownership for wireless broadband access.

The xMax system delivers always-available voice, video and data services to both fixed and mobile users, and is interoperable with existing cellular and dedicated networks without being dependent on them. xMax incorporates advanced optimizing technologies that include spectrum sharing, interference mitigation, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and software defined radio (SDR). These and other technologies make xMax ideal for wide area, as well as rapid emergency communication deployment in unpredictable environments and during fluid situations. xG offers solutions for numerous industries worldwide, including emergency response and public safety, military, telemedicine, urban and rural wireless broadband, utilities, and critical infrastructure.

Based in Sarasota, Florida, xG has over 100 patents and pending patent applications. xG is a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market where xG common stock is traded under the symbol XGTI and xG warrants are traded under the symbol XGTIW. For more information, please visit www.xgtechnology.com.

About Integrated Microwave Technologies, LLC

Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT) is a leader in advanced digital microwave systems and a provider of engineering, integration, installation and commissioning services serving the Broadcast, Sports & Entertainment and MAG (Military, Aerospace & Government) markets. The company comprises the leading microwave brands Nucomm, RF Central and IMT, offering customers worldwide complete video solutions. Nucomm is a premium brand of digital broadcast microwave video systems. RF Central is an innovative brand of compact microwave video equipment for licensed and license-free sports and entertainment applications. IMT is a trusted provider of mission-critical wireless video solutions to state, local and federal police departments. More information can be found at www.imt-solutions.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Statements contained herein that are not based upon current or historical fact are forward-looking in nature and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s expectations about its future operating results, performance and opportunities that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. These statements include but are not limited to statements regarding the intended terms of the offering, closing of the offering and use of any proceeds from the offering. When used herein, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “upcoming,” “plan,” “target”, “intend” and “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to xG Technology, Inc., its subsidiaries, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the Company’s actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.

LOS ANGELES, July 7, 2015 – Skyview Capital, a global private investment firm, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Syncplicity® enterprise file sync and share business from EMC. EMC will retain a financial interest in Syncplicity.

Syncplicity is a leading, enterprise-grade online file sharing and mobile collaboration solution that provides users with experience and tools they desire and gives IT the security and control it needs. Unlike other solutions that force users to store all information in the cloud, Syncplicity gives organizations unmatched flexibility through its hybrid approach. With Syncplicity, IT departments can create rules based on user, group or folder policy to determine whether files should be stored in the cloud or in an on-premise storage array.

Following its acquisition three years ago by EMC, Syncplicity has emerged as a growing standard for companies in a wide variety of industries such as technology, health care, financial services, education, law and engineering services. In addition to broad customer adoption, Syncplicity has been named a leader in both “The Forrester Wave: File Sync and Share Platforms, Q3 2013” and Gartner’s 2014 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise File Synchronization and Sharing.

“Syncplicity’s best of breed, flexible hybrid solution coupled with its tremendous growth under EMC, made this investment decision an easy one for us. Under our ownership, Syncplicity will maintain its leadership position in this market through the rapid development of new capabilities and continued enhancement of end user experience. We are excited about EMC’s continued commitment to Syncplicity’s growth, and welcome Syncplicity’s employees and customers to the Skyview family,” said Alex Soltani, Chairman and CEO of Skyview Capital.

“Syncplicity has redefined the expectations of file sync and sharing in the enterprise, changing it from an unauthorized rogue application that employees use without IT approval to one that is blessed by IT, easily integrates with a company’s existing investments in email, storage and collaboration solutions and delivers a great user experience,” said Jonathan Huberman, the CEO of Syncplicity upon closing of the acquisition. “By focusing exclusively on and investing heavily in this rapidly growing market, Syncplicity has an enormous opportunity to significantly accelerate product innovation, attract a broad ecosystem of partners and resellers and drive customer adoption.”

“Syncplicity experienced great momentum as an EMC business in a highly dynamic and hyper-competitive landscape,” added Jeremy Burton, President of Products and Marketing, EMC Information Infrastructure. “However, the standalone EFSS market is evolving rapidly; customers are continually looking for new end-user features and functionality to enable their increasingly mobile workforce. This is a step away from EMC’s core infrastructure strength. This move is designed to ensure that Syncplicity is adequately positioned for success in the evolving EFSS market and to enable EMC to increase our focus on core EMC Information Infrastructure investments. EMC remains a financial stakeholder and committed to Syncplicity’s growth. The EMC salesforce will continue selling Syncplicity as part of the EMC Select partner program and EMC will remain a large-scale Syncplicity customer.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close this month. Specific terms of the transaction are confidential.

About Skyview Capital, LLC

Skyview Capital, LLC is a global private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of mission critical enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and niche manufacturing. By leveraging its operational capabilities and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. The Los Angeles Business Journal recently recognized Skyview as one of the top 25 private equity firms in Los Angeles. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 20 transactions within its target market verticals. For further information, please visit www.skyviewcapital.com.

VoltDelta provides cloud-based contact center services and voice self-service applications to organizations around the world. Headquartered in New York with global operations and data centers in North America, the United Kingdom, and Germany, VoltDelta is a market leader in SMS and call handling.

“The acquisition of the VoltDelta represents a significant milestone in the evolution of NewNet’s product portfolio and market focus. The combination of these two businesses provides significant scale to NewNet and allows us to expand our telecom services to additional geographies and customer groups. We look forward to growing the ONDemand, Cloud-based services and the LSSI Big Data services,” said Alex Soltani, Chairman and CEO of Skyview Capital.

The share purchase agreement was signed and the transaction simultaneously closed on December 1, 2014. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed by Skyview Capital.

About Skyview Capital, LLC
Skyview Capital, LLC, is a global private investment firm headquartered in Century City, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of “mission critical” enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services, and niche manufacturing. By leveraging its operational capabilities and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. The Los Angeles Business Journal recently recognized Skyview as one of the Top 25 private equity firms in Los Angeles. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 20 transactions within its target market verticals. For further information, please visit www.skyviewcapital.com

“The acquisition of IMT allows Skyview to enter an exciting new communications industry segment. We are impressed by IMT’s strong legacy of serving blue-chip customers in the broadcast and government sectors, dating back to 1991. We are planning to help the management team’s growth of the business through tuck-in acquisitions and offering their products to new and existing customers,” said Alex Soltani, Chairman and CEO of Skyview Capital.

The asset purchase agreement was signed November 3, 2014 with a simultaneous closing. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

About Skyview Capital, LLC
Skyview Capital, LLC, is a global private investment firm headquartered in Century City, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of “mission critical” enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services, and niche manufacturing. By leveraging its operational capabilities and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. The Los Angeles Business Journal recently recognized Skyview as one of the Top 25 private equity firms in Los Angeles. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 20 transactions within its target market verticals. For further information, please visit www.skyviewcapital.com

About IMT
Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT) is a leader in advanced digital microwave video systems serving the Government, Broadcast and Sports & Entertainment markets. IMT comprises Four brands: IMT, Nucomm, RF Central and Microwave Service Company, and has recently moved into a refurbished engineering and manufacturing facility located at the International Trade Center in Mt. Olive, NJ. Please see www.imt-solutions.com for more information.

NewNet Communication Technologies, B.V., a Portfolio Company of Skyview Capital, and a global leader in mobility technologies with a primary focus in mobile messaging, announced today the acquisition of NewPace Technology Development Inc.

NewPace develops mobile and wireline telecom software solutions for global carriers. NewPace’s services include professional services to telcos and development of RCS Messaging software solutions. The acquisition of the NewPace business represents a significant milestone in the evolution of NewNet’s product portfolio and market focus. The NewPace products will be a key addition to the Mobile Messaging technologies, expanding NewNet’s development initiatives. NewPace serves a range of global telecom carriers and handset manufacturers and has 28 staff based in Halifax, Canada.

NewPace’s rcsConnect family of solutions has been powering global Rich Communication Service clients for more than three years. rcsConnect is a complete suite of GSMA 5.1 compliant services, accredited by the GSMA, including: VoIP and Video calling,Presence, Instant Messaging, Group Chat, File Transfer, Store and Forward functionality, Central Message Store, Configuration Server, Inter-operator routing and Network API solutions for mobile operators. RCS solutions can help mobile carriers offer services similar to WhatsApp!, Line, and Viber.

NewNet’s Messaging Unit President, Krishna Viswanadham, said: “Our acquisition of NewPace will enable NewNet to provide enhanced messaging solutions. This will complement our current Krypton, Lithium, Mercury, and Cobalt SMS and MMS product lines. We have been working with the NewPace team since mid-2013 and see great traction for our combined product suite.”

“NewPace believes that NewNet is best positioned to capture the growing RCS market by merging our technologies, staff and services.” said Brent Newsome, the President and CEO of NewPace.

Gavin Murphy, NewPace VP and CTO, said “Our products solve an important pain-point for mobile carriers. Working with the NewNet and Skyview team, we see numerous opportunities for revenue growth and technology development.”

“The NewPace acquisition highlights yet another milestone in NewNet’s rapid and continued development. NewPace’s suite of products and services combined with NewNet’s existing portfolio of messaging, signaling, and secure transaction applications will enable NewNet to offer our global customers an even broader range of next-gen communication solutions. Furthermore, a key initiative for us moving forward will be to utilize our telecom and messaging experience to expand organically and inorganically into new advanced communications solutions including Voice over LTE (VoLTE)” said Alex Soltani, Chairman and CEO of Skyview Capital.

The share purchase agreement was signed June 5, 2014 with a simultaneous close. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

About Skyview Capital, LLC
Skyview Capital, LLC, is a global private investment firm headquartered in Century City, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of “mission critical” enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services, and niche manufacturing. By leveraging its operational capabilities and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. The Los Angeles Business Journal recently recognized Skyview as one of the Top 25 private equity firms in Los Angeles. To date, Skyview has successfully completed over 20 transactions within its target market verticals. For further information, please visit www.skyviewcapital.com

About NewPace
Founded in 2009, NewPace Technology Development provides Software Development, Systems Operations, and Applications support to a world-wide base of customers. Having developed large-scale VoIP offerings and implemented global Instant Messaging products, the NewPace team has substantial experience in telecommunications development and operations. The organization services a wide variety of global clients with tenured expertise in delivering robust, high availability and scalable telecom solutions. NewPace’s messaging products are fully compatible with LTE & VoLTE network infrastructure and the GSMA Rich Communication Service Specifications.

TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Skyview Capital LLC today announced that it has completed the sale of Headsprout®, developers of the MimioReading™ classroom suite, to Learning A-Z, a Cambium Learning® Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABCD) company. Skyview Capital acquired the online curriculum programs as part of its acquisition of Mimio, a global leader in interactive teaching technologies, in July 2013.

Founded in 1999 and based in Seattle, WA, Mimio acquired Headsprout in 2011, which has patented and award-winning adaptive software titles, including MimioReading™ and MimioSprout™ Early Reading. The MimioReading software suite’s advanced design uses both individualized, adaptive reading instruction and whole-group reading lessons for interactive whiteboards to improve reading performance. Research-based, the software has earned industry-wide respect for its effort in improving reading skills for students in grades PreK-8. Currently used in thousands of classrooms, learning labs, and homes, Headsprout will become part of Learning A-Z’s larger reading offering and marketed and sold as Headsprout Early Reading and Headsprout Reading Comprehension.

Bob Holl, president and co-founder of Learning A-Z, says of the acquisition, “Headsprout is an ideal addition to our family of blended learning solutions. Their track record of efficacy includes a wealth of case studies, all of which are a testament to their quality. Our award-winning Reading Solution, which includes Reading A-Z and Raz-Kids, provides online resources for assessment, instruction, and practice. Now, with the inclusion of proven, student-facing phonics and comprehension resources from Headsprout, Learning A-Z is an even more complete reading solution for teachers to differentiate instruction and support student achievement.”

About Skyview Capital LLC

Skyview Capital LLC is a private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, which specializes in the acquisition and management of “mission critical” enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and niche manufacturing. By leveraging its operational capabilities and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long-term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires. To date, Skyview has successfully completed nearly 20 transactions within its target market verticals and was recently recognized by Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the top 25 Los Angeles-based private equity firms.

About Learning A-Z

Learning A-Z is a preK-6 educational resource company specializing in online delivery of leveled readers and supplementary curriculum. Founded in 2002 to help teachers differentiate instruction and meet the unique needs of all students, Learning A-Z’s resources are currently used in more than half of the districts in the US/Canada and 165+ countries worldwide. Serving a wide range of student needs, including ELL/ESL, intervention, special education, and daily instruction, Learning A-Z includes: Reading A-Z,Raz-Kids,Science A-Z,Vocabulary A-Z, and Writing A-Z.

About Cambium Learning Group, Inc.

Cambium Learning® Group is a leading educational solutions and services company that is committed to helping all students reach their full potential by providing evidence-based solutions and expert professional services to empower educators and raise the achievement levels of all students. Cambium Learning Group is composed of four business units: Voyager/Sopris Learning (www.voyagerlearning.com | www.soprislearning.com); Learning A-Z (www.learninga-z.com); ExploreLearning®(www.explorelearning.com); and Kurzweil Educational Systems®(www.kurzweiledu.com) and IntelliTools® (www.intellitools.com). Together, these business units provide best-in-class intervention and supplemental instructional materials; gold-standard professional development and school-improvement services; breakthrough technology solutions for online learning and professional support; valid and reliable assessments; and proven materials to support a positive and safe school environment. For more information, visit www.cambiumlearning.com.

Going ahead with its ‘Growth Game Plan’, Newell Rubbermaid Inc. announced the sale of its hardware business to Nova Capital, an expert buyer of corporate and private equity portfolios for $214 million, including accounts receivable.

The after-tax proceeds are likely to be around $175 million. The transaction (subject to customary conditions) is likely to close in the third calendar quarter of 2013. Newell Rubbermaid appointed Rothschild as the financial advisor in this business deal.

The hardware business comprises four brands, namely Amerock, Ashland, Bulldog and Shur-Line, which together are expected to generate revenue of approximately $255 million for 2013.

In May 2013, Newell Rubbermaid had declared that it was looking for prospective buyers to offload its Hardware and Teach Platform businesses. According to the company, these businesses were not in line with its ‘Growth Game Plan’ strategy as announced in Oct 2012. Under the particular strategy, the company intends to eliminate approximately 10% of the workforce, build a new organizational model as well as leadership team.

In Jul 2013, Newell Rubbermaid sold out its Teach Platform business to a Beverly Hills, Calif. based private equity firm, Skyview Capital, LLC. Newell’s Teach Platform business includes the Mimio and Headsprout interactive teaching technology brands. The company has not disclosed the terms of the deal.

We believe that the recently concluded transaction will enable Newell Rubbermaid to build an organized portfolio in the existing five fundamental business segments, namely Home Solutions, Writing, Tools, Commercial Products and Baby & Parenting. Consequently, it will provide ample prospects to grow through innovation, brand augmentation and by garnering opportunities in emerging economies.

We believe that the overall growth plan will help Newell Rubbermaid to reduce the complexities of the organization, boost efficiencies in customer services and sourcing functions as well as increase investments in the core business areas. The long-term growth plan, which is expected to be fully implemented by the end of second-quarter fiscal 2015, will save approximately $180–$225 million annually.

“Companies are looking to grow through acquisition as demand slows for wireless and Internet services, and they’re seeking scale so they can afford to build the high-speed networks necessary for the latest mobile and video offerings,” a recent Bloomberg article said.

Skyview Capital, a privately held investment firm that specializes in the acquisition and continuous management of mission-critical enterprises, has built an expertise in carve-out transactions, particularly in the telecom and software sectors, and is actively looking for additional businesses to invest in.

This year, Skyview has definitely kept itself busy. In July it acquired the Mimio online education business from Newell Rubbermaid, which offers interactive teaching technologies to increase effectiveness and engagement in K–12 classrooms. It also acquired Interact Inc. earlier this year, a provider of interactive voices response (IVR) platforms and hosted IVR systems to help improve global communications, and the Tekelec Mobile Messaging business.

Alex Soltani, chairman of Skyview Capital, said, “Skyview Capital has built up a strong reputation, performing carve out and buyout transactions. We have a team of operating professionals, who work with the management teams to stabilize and grow the acquired businesses.”

In addition to 2013’s acquisitions, Skyview’s current and previous portfolio includes Aserdiv, Collins Communications, Fastech Integrated Solutions, NewNet Communication Technologies, Ixilix, Solvport, PAS Technologies and Transcend Communications. Skyview was recently honored by The Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the Top-25 LA-based private equity firms.

“At Skyview, we strive to create long-term sustainable value within the enterprises we acquire, by providing them the highest level of financial resources and operational acumen necessary to realize and achieve their full business potential. Our investment principles are driven strictly by growth – organic growth, growth through acquisition, and specifically growth through our partnerships with talented executives,” Soltani said.

Skyview Capital LLC is a private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of “mission critical” enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and niche manufacturing. By leveraging its operational capabilities and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long‐term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires.

To date, Skyview has successfully completed nearly 20 transactions within its target market verticals and was recently recognized by Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the top 25 Los Angeles‐based private equity firms.

The proliferation of mobile devices has led to improved app development, features and capabilities. Think about how many different things you can accomplish from your smartphone or tablet alone – using GPS, sharing via social media, checking e-mail and making banking transactions or purchasing something online are not impossible feats. In fact, a recent U.S. Federal Reserve study found nearly 21 percent of mobile phone users have used mobile banking in the past year, and a Juniper Research (News – Alert) report predicts mobile commerce transactions to exceed $3.2 trillion by 2017. The rise in payment transactions means mobile device and network providers need to be prepared to offer high levels of security, safety and data confidentiality.

NewNet (News – Alert) Communications, a provider of solutions for next-generation mobile, fixed line networks, messaging and transaction processing, offers Traxcom secure transaction processing solutions to provide a high degree of security to ensure data confidentiality and safety, and improve the efficiency of operations.

TMC recently caught up with NewNet’s T.K. Cheung, SVP and GM of Secure Transaction Processing Division, to discuss the solutions, how they help set NewNet apart in the industry from competitors, what prompted NewNet to offer PCI (News – Alert) compliance with Traxcom and what’s in store for NewNet in the future.

The Traxcom product portfolio includes the Total Control Secure Transaction Gateway (STG) Dial Payment processing system, which delivers a specialized suite that enables fast transaction processing of credit card authorizations, debit card fund transfers and health benefit authorizations, and AccessGuard 1000 Mobile and Broadband IP Payment Processing gateways, which are designed to process high volumes of IP-based authorization and payment queries generated from a “smart card” terminal device, and internet based payment terminal devices. “Speed, security, stability and system availability are the key requirements of payment transaction systems and these hold the key parameters of NewNet Traxcom products as proven in the industry with our deployments with Tier 1 Acquirers, Processors, Wireline Carriers, MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) etc.,” said Cheung. “Security is the most critical aspect of payment transactions and having been in this business and working with some of the largest Tier 1 Acquirers, processor and carriers globally, we have remained in the forefront of offering most advance security for payment routing solutions with latest cryptographic methodologies.”

“NewNet’s Secure Transactions Business Unit provides mission-critical solutions to allow carriers and financial institutions to securely process electronic payment Transactions globally. As new point of sale (POS) payment platforms arise, there will be increased opportunities for NewNet’s Secure Transactions products and services. We are seeing traction domestically as these new digital payment platforms proliferate and as acquirers and ISOs seek innovative, customer-focused suppliers. We also see enormous growth in demand in emerging markets, which are experiencing rapid increases in credit card penetration and volumes,” said Matt Thompson, SVP corporate development, NewNet Communication Technologies. NewNet has integrated transaction processing, security handling, load balancing and network routing into a single system, thereby enabling customers to avoid the need for separate systems for each of the different functions.

“Our systems enable the customers to offer new payment solutions on emerging client/terminal devices by still connecting to existing authorization servers, thus bridging the future with present day systems,” said Cheung.

Skyview Capital LLC is a private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of “mission critical” enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and niche manufacturing. By leveraging its operational capabilities and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long‐term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires.

To date, Skyview has successfully completed nearly 20 transactions within its target market verticals and was recently recognized by Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the top 25 Los Angeles‐based private equity firms.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Mimio is a global leader in interactive teaching technologies offering innovative, affordable educational technologies and curriculum solutions to increase effectiveness and engagement in K–12 classrooms.

Alex Soltani, chairman of Skyview Capital LLC, says of the transaction, “We are very excited about adding Mimio to the Skyview portfolio. We see tremendous potential in both the education technology and curriculum segments. Mimio has cutting-edge technologies to enhance the learning experience for students around the world.”

Mimio’s General Manager, Manny Perez, stated, “Skyview has a deep understanding of and experience in the technology industry and sees the value Mimio has to offer. The firm has a proven track record of helping companies increase in value, and we are confident that the Mimio business will benefit from this expertise as we continue to fulfill our mission of offering innovative and relevant instructional technologies.”

Mimio’s technologies include the recently launched MimioMobile™ app and its MimioStudio™ classroom software. These two new programs give teachers the ability to create truly collaborative learning environments using mobile devices in their classrooms. The MimioSprout™ and Mimio Reading™ online instructional reading programs provide schools and homes broad and effective lessons to teach reading to students in pre–K through eighth grade. The complete MimioClassroom™ suite of interactive technologies and instructional software are used in more than 600,000 classrooms worldwide.

The transaction has closed; terms were not made public.

About Skyview Capital LLC

Skyview Capital LLC is a private investment firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of “mission critical” enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services and niche manufacturing. By leveraging its operational capabilities and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the long‐term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires.

To date, Skyview has successfully completed nearly 20 transactions within its target market verticals and was recently recognized by Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the top 25 Los Angeles‐based private equity firms.

Atlanta – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (NYSE: NWL) today announced the sale of its Teach platform, including the Mimio® and Headsprout® interactive teaching technology brands, to Skyview Capital, LLC (www.skyviewcapital.com), a Beverly Hills, Calif., private equity firm. Terms were not disclosed. The transaction has closed with the signing of the agreement.

“Our Growth Game Plan is designed to accelerate performance by setting clear priorities for our business. This transaction further simplifies our portfolio as we continue to invest behind our highest-potential global growth opportunities,” said Michael Polk, Newell Rubbermaid’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

About Newell Rubbermaid

Newell Rubbermaid Inc., an S&P 500 company, is a global marketer of consumer and commercial products with 2012 sales of approximately $5.6 billion and a strong portfolio of leading brands, including Sharpie®, Paper Mate®, Rubbermaid Commercial Products®, Irwin®, Lenox®, Parker®, Waterman®, Rubbermaid®, Levolor®, Calphalon®, Goody®, Graco®, Aprica® and Dymo®. As part of the company’s Growth Game Plan, Newell Rubbermaid is making sharper portfolio choices and investing in new marketing and innovation to accelerate performance.

This press release and additional information about Newell Rubbermaid are available on the company’s website.

There has been a significant rise in the number of portfolio operations groups in private equity over recent years. Private Equity boomed in the 1980’s and primarily relied on the use of financial engineering in leveraged buyouts to achieve the high returns that defined that era. As more leveraged buyout shops emerged, the competition for deals increased and returns subsided. In addition, in the post-credit crisis world it has been more challenging to obtain credit, and private equity funds have had to write larger equity checks than before which has also negatively impacted private equity returns.

Interact Inc.’s high performance, hosted or customer premise installed Interactive Voice Response (IVR) solutions and their realtime charging and rating engine improve global communications in over 30 countries worldwide, reaching over 80 million end users. Interact’s products coupled with NewNet’s TraxcomSecure and
Mobile Messaging technologies expand its product portfolio. Nimblevox, Interact’s Cloud Communications solution allows companies to bring voice and SMS applications to market in a shorter timeframe, without writing a single line of code. Nimblevox enables
operators to develop cutting-edge communication applications that are hosted in the cloud or installed at the customer premises. Interact’s Invigorate product provides a real-time convergent rating and charging solution, allowing mobile operators to introduce innovative services and creative charging campaigns. NewNet’s CEO, PJ Louis, said: “We are excited to add the Interact Incorporated solutions to our NewNet product portfolio.” Louis continued, “Interact’s assets are an excellent fit for NewNet, and we believe this transaction will deliver significant business growth for our organization.”

“Interact and NewNet’s customers are the true winners of this acquisition,” said Lynn McKee, the previous CEO of Interact Inc. “The combination of our two organizations’ product portfolios deliver technologies that make business processes happen.”

“Together, both Interact and NewNet’s proven track records in the industry ensure our customers receive world class products and unparalleled support services, enabling them to bring new and innovative solutions to market in a timely manner,” said Greg Gissler, Founder of Interact Inc.”

“Today’s signing announcement marks a new, important chapter in our company,” said Alex Soltani, Chairman of NewNet, and Chairman and CEO of Skyview Capital. “This is a highly strategic transaction, allowing NewNet to broaden its product offering to its blue-chip telecom carrier clients. It provides NewNet with cross-selling opportunities, engineering talent, and innovative intellectual property. It is Skyview’s first deal to close in 2013 and facilitates NewNet’s continued growth.”

About Skyview Capital, LLC

Skyview Capital, LLC, is a private investment firm headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, which specializes in the acquisition and management of “mission critical” enterprises in the areas of technology, telecommunications, business services, and niche manufacturing. By leveraging its operational capabilities and financial acumen, Skyview systematically enhances the longâ€“term sustainable value of the businesses it acquires.

In private equity, deal flow is the lifeblood of each firm. It is crucial to bring a stream of interesting deals into the firm. There are two types of deal leads: proprietary and non-proprietary auctions. Buyout professionals greatly prefer the proprietary, non-auctions deals. These proprietary deals, since they are not structured auction processes, have less competition, which can allow for more favorable purchase price and terms.

You can think of deal sourcing like any sales channel. It is funnel of unqualified leads turning to qualified leads, turning to active discussions, turning to NDA, turning to Letters of Intent, turning to executed transactions. At each stage, only a percentage of deals make it to the next stage. Therefore, if you start with 100 unqualified leads it may only turn into one completed transaction. Since it is a numbers game, it is crucial to generate and efficiently process as many deals as possible. Firms have diverse approaches to deal sourcing; some have huge in-house teams of deal-sourcing specialists; at some firms all deal professionals are responsible for deal sourcing and executions.

Many corporations are seeking to enhance shareholder value by divesting struggling or non-core divisions. This process is called a “carve-out” (see the last edition of AIRA Journal (Vol. 25 No. 5.) for a previous article on this topic). Buying carved-out business units is more challenging than buying existing standalone businesses and there are a number of unique challenges. Strategic buyers usually have an existing business infrastructure that can be used to run the business. Private equity buyers, on the other hand, need to develop this infrastructure so that the carved-out entity can operate independently. There are a number of carveout specific due diligence issues which should be evaluated to help ensure a successful acquisition, transition, and exit.

As the global economy continues to stall, both healthy and distressed corporations are looking to divest struggling or non-core divisions. This process is called a “carve- out.” Private equity and strategic buyers are increasingly purchasing these carved-out divested business units. Acquiring carved-out business units is more challenging than buying existing standalone businesses and there are a number of unique challenges. Strategic buyers usually have an existing business infrastructure into which they can run the business. Private equity buyers, on the other hand, need to develop this infrastructure so that the carved-out entity can operate.